UFO investigation service shut down

Friday, December 04, 2009

The Ministry of Defence has stopped investigating reported sightings of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) in the UK.

A telephone number and email address which allowed the public to report sightings for investigation was closed on 1 December after the MoD decided the service was an "inappropriate use of defence resources."

The closure was revealed in a Freedom of Information request released via the MoD website.

The MoD had dealt with more than 12,000 reports since it launched the reporting service in 1950 - including 135 last year. The service had cost around £50,000 a year to run and was based at RAF Command in High Wycombe.

In a statement, the ministry said: "The MoD has no opinion on the existence or otherwise of extra-terrestrial life."

"However, in over fifty years, no UFO report has revealed any evidence of a potential threat to the United Kingdom.

"The MoD has no specific capability for identifying the nature of such sightings.

"There is no defence benefit in such investigation and it would be an inappropriate use of defence resources. Furthermore, responding to reported UFO sightings diverts MoD resources from tasks that are relevant to defence.

"Accordingly, and in order to make best use of defence resources, we have decided that from the 1 December 2009 the dedicated UFO hotline answer-phone service and e-mail address will be withdrawn. MoD will no longer respond to reported UFO sightings or investigate them.

"The ongoing programme to release departmental files on UFO matters to the National Archive will continue."